Greek minister's aide killed in bomb attack

A close aide of aGreek minister has died as a result of a bomb blast inside government offices in Athens.

The bomb, a booby-trapped device disguised as a gift, exploded in the hands of the public order minister's aide after he apparently picked it up and tried to open a box.

The blast happened this afternoon on the seventh floor of the building — just metres away from the office of minister Michalis Chrysohoidis, who was on the premises at the time of the blast.

Chrysohoidis said that the attack killed a "valuable and beloved associate" and that the "cowardly murderers will be brought to justice".

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, which caused serious damage to the office at about 8.15pm local time.

"There was a big explosion at the office of the minister's chief of staff. There was a lot of damage," an official told Reuters.

There have been frequent attacks on banks and government buildings since a teenager was shot dead by a policeman in Athens in December 2008. Most attacks have been blamed on far-left and anarchist groups, but these incidents have been minor and caused no injuries.

Last month three people died after riots in Athens over the debt crisis after the Marfin Egnatia bank was set on fire with workers inside.

Greece has been rocked by a series of bomb attacks claimed by leftist militants since the country's worst riots in decades in 2008. Earlier this year, Greece arrested six suspected members of the country's most militant group, Revolutionary Struggle.

When he took office in October 2009, Chrysohoidis said that he would crack down on militants. In a previous spell in the job in 2002, he dismantled November 17, Greece's most lethal guerrilla group.

Greece is also facing a deep economic crisis and last month won a €110bn ($147.6bn) bailout package from the European Union and the IMF.